View full sizeAllan Brettman / The OregonianThe Nike 6.0 campaign is aimed at skateboarders, surfers, skiers, and snowboarders, among others.

Dude: From the people who brought the world "Just Do It," comes the latest controversial all-caps slogan to cause a ruckus and get lots of free publicity for Nike.

Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino has lashed out at the the Oregon-based sports equipment giant for its use of the phrase, "GET HIGH," on a T-shirt on sale at a Nike store in his city, The Boston Herald reports. The T-shirt selection includes another that, uh, sneers at gravity and another that says, "DOPE," and depicts a spilled bottle of medicine. Instead of pills, however, skateboards and surfboards come spilling out.

The T-shirts have been distributed globally, says Nike spokeswoman Erin Dobson, who limited her comments on the issue to this:

"These t-shirts are part of an action sports campaign, featuring marquee athletes using commonly used and accepted expressions for performance at the highest level of their sport, be it surfing, skateboarding or BMX. Nike does not condone the use of banned or illegal substances."

As for the pill bottle, Dobson added:

"This is about sport and being authentic to action sports. The graphic shows skateboards and surfboards. There is no better adrenalin rush than catching a wave or landing a trick."

... analyst Zhang Shenwei of the Samsung Economic Research Institute said the executives were overly optimistic about moving up the consumer ladder. The simple fact was that the new emphasis on the company's sports line failed to win consumers.

"An upgrade in consumer demand is a long and gradual process," analyst Zhang said. "It's hard to say that China's consumers in the next 10 years will become particular about the professional aspects of what to wear, (such as) wearing a particular suit when playing ping pong, and changing into another kind of wear when playing basketball.

Eclipsing the field: The sponsors of U.S. Open winner Rory McIlroy have to still be feeling like they're soaring on a long drive to a distant green. That would include Oakley, Inc., reports The Los Angeles Times. Known mostly for its sunglasses, the California-based company, that Nike once targeted for acquisition, supplied McIlroy's clothing at the Open.

Better fit: Several companies, including Nike and Adidas, supply workout apparel for women. But Vicky Hallett of The Washington Post reports that there is a company that believes there is room for an upstart offering a better fit.